A quotation from antiquity tries to explain one of the differences between Christians and non-believers. It says about people of faith: “And if any righteous man among them passes from the world, they rejoice and offer thanks to God; and they escort the body as if he were setting out from one place to another.”

That quote goes a long way to explain the difference between a Christian funeral and a non-Christian funeral.

1 Thessalonians 4:13 says, “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.”

Most of us can attest to the fact that those who do not believe in Jesus usually have a harder time dealing with the loss of a loved one than those who do believe. Grieving is a natural process, but it is much more difficult for those who have no assurance of eternal life. When someone dies in Christ, their loved ones have the assurance that they will see them again.